Poultry-nest



W. M. LOWTHROP.

POULTRY NEST. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, m9.

1,390,916. ,23 PatentedSept. 13,1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

MARCUS LOWTHBOP, OF SUMMERTOWN, TENNESSEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

POULTRY-N EST.

Application filed November 3, 1919. Serial No. 335,279.

To all whom it me concern Be it known t at I, WILLIAM M. Low- THROP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Summertown, in the county of Lawrence and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Poultry-Nest, of which the following is a specification.

The device forming thesubject matter of this application is a hens. nest, and one object of the invention is to provide novel means whereby when a hen enters the nest, a door will beclosed behind the hen, means being provided whereby, when the hen leaves the nest, a door will beopened in advance oi? the hen.

The device forming the subject matter of this application makes provision for entrapping a hen while she is on the nest, the construction being such that when the .hen leaves the nest, the nest will be reset to reccive another hen.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that the door. although relatively light will swing readily into an open position,'it being unnecessary to counterweight the doom, the, door on account of its lightness being operatedreadily by a pivoted nest.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hens nest which will be thoroughly and adequately ventilated.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally. and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the aboveand other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combi nation and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of theinvention shown can be made without. departing from the spirit of the invention. a

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in longitudi l, section, a hens nest constructed in accor ance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the nest on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a box like casing 1 including a bottom 2, a high side 3, a low side 4, and a top 5. A side closure 6 is hinged at 7 .to the part 4,and is adapted to be swung downwardly and outwardl into an open pos tion in order to give access to the interior of the nest, to permit the nest to be cleaned out, to permit the removal of eggs, and for other purposes.

The side closure 6 is held in a closed position by means of latches 11, adapted to cooperate with keepers 11 on the top 5. The casing 1 includes a vertical end 8 and an end 9 which slopes downwardly and inwardly. The side closure 6 and the side 3 are provided with any desired number of perforations 10, or with any othersuitable means whereby the nest may be, ventilated adeiyluately.

T e end- 9 is provided with a doorway 12 in which is disposed a vertically swinging door-14, supported relatively near to its lower end on a pivot rod 15. The upper end of the door 14 is supplied with a shoulder 16 adapted to coact with a shoulder 17 on the end -9, to limit the inward swinging movement of the door. A screw eye or like projection 18 is mounted in the door 1 1, and when the door is swung downwardly into an open position, the part 18 holds the door in such; a position that it will form an entrance or runway for the nest.

Disposed within the casing 1 is a platform 19 sup lied at its inner endwith a nest 20. The p atform 19 carries ears 21 through which passes a pivot rod 22 having its ends mounted in the sides 1 and 3 of the casing 1, the part 1920 being, therefore, fulcrumed intermediate its ends. Guides 23, which may be screw eyes, are mounted in the top 5 of the casing 1. Flexible elements 2 1 are slidably mounted in the guides 23, the flexible elements being connected, each, at one end, to a screw eye 25 mounted in the inner end of the nest 20. The other ends of the flexible elements 24L are connected to screw. eyes 26 or the like, mounted in the vertically swinging door 14 and located slightly above thepivotal mounting 15 oil. the door. 1

In' the vertical end 8 of the casing 1 there is a doorway 27 in which a vertically swinging door 28 is mounted. The door 28 is pivotally supported, as shown at 29, intermediate its ends, but relatively rear to its upper end, so that the door swings upwardly and outwardly into an open position, whereas the door 14: swings downwardly and outwardly into an open position. The door 28 may be supplied with a screen 30 or the l ke, so hat the hen on the n t Patented Sept. 13, 1921.

20 can see light at the end 8 of the casing 1, the door 14 preferably being opaque, so that the space behind the hen on the nest 20 is relatively dark.

Disposed in advance of the nest 20 is a platform 31, pivotally. supported intermediate its end as shown at 32 on a cross rod 33 having its ends mounted in the parts 3 and 4 of the nest. The inner end of the platform 31 carries a depending cleat 34 which, cooperating with the bottom 2 of the casing 1, limits the downward swinging movement of the inner end of the platform 31. Flexible elements 35 are provided, the lower ends of the flexible elements being connected as shown at 36 to the platform 31, the upper ends'of the flexible elements 35 being connected as shown at 37, to the door 28, slightly above the pivotal mounting 29 of the door. v

In practical operation, the door 1% stands in an open position, as shown in Fig. 1, the door 28 tending to swing and to stand in a closed position. The hen enters the casing 1 by way of the inclined door 14, and the doorway 12 and enters the nest 20, whereupon the nest 20 swings downwardly with the pivot rod 22 as a fulcrum. The flexible members 24 are pulled upon and slide throughthe guides 23, the door 14 being swung upwardly into closed position. v

.After the hen has laid an egg, the hen,

upon leaving the nest, advances toward the doorway 27, because the door 28 is screened or otherwise constructed, as shown at 30, so as to admit light, the space behind the hen being dark. The hen treads on the platform 31 and swings the platform on the cross rod 33 whereupon the flexible elements 35 move the door 28 to an open position, the hen then leaving the casing 1 by way of the doorwaiy 27. V g

j special attention is directed to the fact that the end wall 9 of the nest is downwardly and inwardly inclined, the door 14: having a like inclination when in a closed position. Sincethe end 9 and the door 1 1 are constructed as above described, the door 14 tends normally to swing into an open position, as shown in Fig. 1, and it is unnecessary to counterweight the door, or to make the door heavy, in order that it may swing to an open osition, as shown in Fig. 1. Because the. oor 14 may be made light, for the reason above stated, the door is manipulated readily when the nest 20 swings downwardly, and, further, since the door 1-l is light, owing to the construction above pointed out, the guides 23 on the top 5 of the casing may be simple screw eyes, the added friction resulting from such a construction being of no account, since the lightness of the door 14; more than offsets the disadvantages one to friction. Since the guides 23 may be in the form of simple screw eyes, it is unnecessary to use sheaves, pulleys, or the like, adapted to jam and catch the flexible elements 2i, and a simple element such as the part 2%, may be used in place of a complicated system of levers, springs and the like.

The device generally considered, is so constructed that its internal working parts will be shielded adequately from the weather, and even after a protracted wet season, the structure will operate successfully and in a satisfactory manner.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing; a downwardly swinging door mount ed in one end of the casing; an upwardly swinging door mounted in the other end of the casing; a nest-carrying platform fulcrumed intermediate its ends in the casing; flexible elements extended between the inner end oft-he nest-carrying platform and the first specified door; a second platform mounted to swing in the casing; and a flexible connection between the second platform and the upwardly swinging door.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing including an end wall which slants downwardly and inwardly; a door pivoted in the end wall to swing downwardly and outwardly, and inclined downwardly and inwardly, when in a closed position, to correspond with the slant of the end wall; a nest carrying platform fulcrumed intermediate its ends in the casing; a flexible element having one of its ends connected to the inner end of the nest carrying platform, the other end of the flexible element being connected to the door above the pivotal mounting of the door; and a guide on the casing, wherein the intermediate portion of the flexible element is slidably received.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own,l have hereto allixed my signature.

- WILLIAM MARCUS LoW'THnor. 

